Two letters from America

A warning from Cincinnatti

PALACE HOTEL

Cincinnati

27 January, 1889

My dear father

I have looked further into your letters today. I see you
seem to think there is no money to be made in America by pale cream roughs.
This is a mistake as there is far more money to be made in them than elastics.
No doubt you will have to go pretty slowly and cautiously about getting into
the American trade, but it will never do for you to lose big orders for want of
a couple of men in the Lapping Room.

As for the value of a few samples, other houses make 1,000
sample books for your one. I go into no house without seeing dozens of Kirks, etc…I know of nothing in this country
which would suit (?our) linen.

The temptations for young men (here) are far greater than at
home.

From all accounts, the medical is paid about the same here
as at home; a man’s only chance would be to commence in some of the big cities and
I believe it takes a good time to establish a practice. I would strongly
recommend [my brother] John to have a run out here. The voyage would do him worlds of good
and he would get a lot of valuable information.

It has been snowing all day, it looks like more. I don’t
expect to do much here as I expect the buyers will all be in the East.

You need not be calculating on my going into the business
again when I return as I have no idea of it.

A second visit - to Boston

Vieths Hotel, 245 Tremond St.,
Boston.

Sunday 4th August 1889.

Dear Father,

I wrote you two letters
yesterday enclosing three orders for about 1,300 pieces of Canvas with full
instructions. I have already sold all
the 24 ¼” 7x8 which I bought from Berwick for America. I wish to show you the necessity of
immediately placing further order with R. Bell & Co., for these and say 100
webs 24 ½” 6x7. Possibly you will buy
the latter cheaper from Richardson Bros.
You know if you do not place the order immediately, you will require to
buy them from stock and pay at least ½ d extra per yard. This will entail a loss as my prices are
based on the prices for the goods that I bought.

If my health keeps good
and the heat does not increase, doubtless I will sell quantities of these goods
and the finer numbers.

Messrs. Barker, Ash and
Waters want immediately quotation for 32/33” Buckrams 5x5, 5x6, 6x6, 6x7. They are selling them by thousands for the
Youngs, and if we could do them as cheaply, they will put the orders all our
way. Note they are natural shade, heavy
clean yarns.

Please give this matter
early attention. Doubtless B.A & W. will do a big and very profitable trade.

I have been to Trinity
Church this morning, it is the finest in New England.

It is awfully hot here
today, quite impossible to walk about.

You say in your letter
that our total turnover last year was not £40,000, and that a few years ago you
were doing over £45,000. It certainly is
disheartening to see that trade is going down, and you say you hope I will get
it up to a turnover of £50,000. Now I
will guarantee to exceed that figure and I believe it could even be doubled in
U.S.A. alone if you will get up these extra numbers of canvas to meet the great
demand.

I would also very strongly
recommend our putting in a stenter frame instead of paying Lisnafillan big sums
for finishing. Of course it would be
useless putting in a frame unless you act on the advice I have so often given
re putting in a small steam engine to drive the Green when there is no
water. Although you and Alexander
laughed at my suggestion to do so, I am confident in time you will both realise
the importance of having a steam engine to keep the Works going in dry weather. You say in your letter that owing to scarcity
of water you can only run the Green and engines four or five days a week
now. This is absolutely absurd while
£150 would buy a small steam engine and I predict the day will come when you will have a
steam or gas engine at the Road, Lower House and Mill as well.

I would also urge you to
erect some engines on the splendid Fall below the Lower House where you can use
all the water now going to waste. It is
only a question of giving old Johnston £18 for the race through his field. Alexander, John Smith and I offered him £12 a
week before I sailed, he wanted £18. But for the sake of £6 why in the name of
Providence should we not get this valuable fall where 24 engines could be
erected. There is only £6 between us,
which you could make in a week.

If you could beetle the
goods I could sell Lesher Whitman huge quantities of natural and pale Hollands.

You also spoke in your
letter of the difficulty of getting goods lapped. I do not wonder when all the lappers have to
leave their work and walk downstairs several times daily to carry up on their
shoulders all the Hollands and Buckrams from Paddy McShane’s cart. You know I have often recommended a simple
hoist which one man could bring up all the goods and let the lapper go on with
their work. Of course the canvas I am
selling will not be lapped, they are all wanted rolled. I have urged you for a long time to adopt the
combined rolling and measuring machine which I made with my own hands and is
lying idle in the Lapping Room. It is a
hundred years behind the times - [the system of] first [getting] James McShane to measure these goods on a
hand reel and then [having] Johnnie Cuskeran rolling them on another hand machine. The machine I made could be driven by a
little oil engine and would both measure and roll at the same time, but you
know the objections that were raised to it.

You also say there is no
room in the Lapping Room for the American canvas now coming in. Now, why not change the Brown Room and
Lapping room to the Green and give all the space now occupied by brown goods
for canvas. It is a mad policy bringing
the brown goods first to the Lapping Room and then recarting them to the
Green. Why not let John Tohill draw them
direct to the Green?

Now, out here when one is
not mixed up with Upperlands worries, it is possible to review all these
matters clearly, and I urge you to have these reforms carried out. We never will do a big business under the
present conditions.

I am leaving for Montreal
on Wednesday next, and from there will go to Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit,
Chicago, St. Louis etc and I assure you I will do my best to work up the
business.